Provenance S1 Ep7
by Bad Day at Black Rock
Summary: Sam gets in too deep when they investigate a sting of murders linked to a family portrait.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: These fics are based on real episodes from all four seasons of Supernatural. The characters and plots belong to the creator and writers for the show. If you want background on the new character you can read the previous episodes.

Sam was trying to explain the details of the murder to Dean, but he was distracted. He was always distracted by something. Sam caught his attention again and forced him to focus.

"Their throats were slit, all the doors were locked, no witnesses, no forced entry." Maybe if he used short phrases he would concentrate long enough to understand.

"Charming." Dean threw out, he had heard him, it just wasn't anything new. "But we can't pick this up until the bright and early right?"

"Right."

"Great." He pat Sam on the shoulder. "Why don't you head back to the hotel? Do the whole, not socializing thing."

Sam grimaced and looked at him. "Whatever dude." He paused for a moment and glanced towards the jukebox, where Kayla was pushing quarters into the machine.

"What?"

Defensive, he _knew_ it. "Did you and Kayla…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter man."

Sam smirked; he wondered when that line was going to be crossed. With Dean for a brother, he was surprised it wasn't a lot sooner. "It's about time."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Get outta here."

He started to gather his things but watched Dean go to the jukebox and touch Kayla's arm. The smile on her face when she looked at him was impossible to miss; something had started. Sam smiled and walked out.

"Let me buy you a drink."

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that chivalrous of you?"

"Well it's not really my money so, you know."

"Don't ruin it."

He grinned and motioned her towards the bar. If he had anything to do with it, this would be a long night. Preferably one that lead into the morning. His immediate thought was distracted as he heard a song come across the speakers, he looked at Kayla.

"Zeppelin?"

She shrugged with a sheepish smile. "It's growing on me."


	2. Chapter 2

Kayla yawned as they walked into the auction house and he involuntarily smirked. The night before had gone pretty much exactly how he'd wanted it to. He wondered now if he should have been more willing to stop when she showed reluctance; but he could tell by her reactions that it didn't have anything to do with him. There was a story behind it that he didn't pry in to. Thinking back he was starting to feel guilty, which was new for him. Girls didn't make him feel guilty. He shook the thought out of his head; she was the one who said it was ok.

"Guys, we don't really fit in here." Kayla noted as they looked around at the high class crowd. Everyone was dressed so formal; it was just an auction after all.

Sam nodded. "We knew that from the parking lot."

"I'm just saying that maybe we should change real quick and come back, before someone…"

"Can I help you?" An older man in a suit stopped in front of them. Everything about him screamed _Get the hell out of here._

Dean stuffed another quiche cracker in his mouth and looked down on him. "I'd like some champagne."

_Oh God Dean._ Sam shook his head. "He's not a waiter. I'm Sam Conner, this is my brother Dean. We're art dealers with Conner Limited."

The man refused to shake his hand. "You're art dealers. Well. This is my auction house and this is a private auction. I don't remember seeing you on the guest list."

"Well see…" Sam tried to say something intelligent but Dean got in the way.

"Oh we're on it Chuckles, why don't you check again?" He quickly walked away, the others followed him before the man could say anything else.

Moments later they came across a creepy looking old painted family portrait. Typical old-fashioned portrait; no one was smiling; the kids all looked like they belonged in the next Omen movie. A voice from behind them made them all turn around. A young woman in a fitted black dress came down the stairs and quizzed them on the origin of the painting.

Dean whispered against Kayla's ear. "You totally just checked that girl out."

She rolled her eyes and glanced at him. "And you _totally_ just got a threesome image in your head."

He shrugged in response, couldn't argue there.

"I'd say it's more Grant Wood than Grandma Moses. But you knew that, you just wanted to know if I knew." Sam answered the girl, since Dean and Kayla were having their own conversation.

"Guilty." She smiled. "And clumsy of me, I apologize. I'm Sarah Blake."

Ah, she was flirting with Sam, how cute. Kayla ushered Dean away from the two and they pretended to look at other valuable items. She might have died of boredom but luckily they quickly got kicked out.


	3. Chapter 3

Once they found out that every owner of the creepy painting became murder victims, the guys quickly decided to destroy it. They took that one on themselves, said it would be a piece of cake and she could get some sleep. Kayla didn't argue, they could have their fun breaking into the auction house.

The following morning Dean was running around the hotel room in a panic.

"Dean, _what_ are you looking for?" She stopped him from pacing.

"My wallet."

"Well, where was the last place you had it?"

"Um, the auction house. When we broke in. Illegally."

Sam turned. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah man we gotta go find it before someone else does. It's got my prints, my ID, well my fake ID but still! Let's go."

Sam and Kayla exchanged a look of disbelief and followed him out the door. They didn't need the police attention if someone found his wallet and the missing picture. Genius.

At the auction house they were all trying to look as quickly as possible when Sarah walked in.

"Guys, hey. What are you doing here?"

"Sarah!" Sam stopped and smiled, but still looked like the cat that ate the canary. "We were just, um, about to leave town and I wanted to say goodbye."

Dean came up to him. "Ah come on Sam, we're not leaving yet. We'll be here at least a couple days."

Sarah looked confused at how erratic they were being; Kayla _was_ confused but didn't show it.

"Say um, let me give you that twenty bucks I owe you. I keep forgetting." Dean pulled out…his wallet. Of course. With a smile he handed Sam a twenty dollar bill.

Sam stared at him in disbelief; it was a setup.

"I'll just leave you crazy kids alone. We gotta do, something. Have fun." He led Kayla out of the building with a chuckle.

"Dean Winchester."

"What?"

"That was so ridiculously sweet."

"I know it's almost sickening isn't it? Don't let it get around." He grinned and kissed her, he wanted a little more one on one time anyway. His idea was quickly destroyed when Sam came rushing out.

"The painting is there."

"What?"

"The painting, perfectly fine, is in the same frame."

Dean grimaced and motioned to the car. "Let's go do some fricken research."


	4. Chapter 4

Kayla was laying back on one of the beds, flipping channels as the guys discussed strategies. They had learned a little bit from the research. Daddy dearest in the photo had apparently killed his whole family by slitting their throats, and then committed suicide. This would lead them to assume that he was the one haunting and killing people, but his remains were cremated so it would be kind of hard. The bookkeeper also showed them a picture of the family. At first glance it seemed like the same photo, but as Sam pointed out, the father was looking forward in the photograph, and down in the actual painting.

"Well if he changed in the painting, maybe some other things have changed in the painting. You know, could give us some clues." Dean offered.

"Like a DaVinci Code thing?"

"I…don't know. Still waiting on the movie on that one."

Kayla smiled; watching Sam's reactions to his brother was priceless. They were so tolerant of each other.

"Anyway," Dean continued. "We need to get back to see the painting again. Which is good, because you'll have time to crush on your new girlfriend."

"Dude."

"What?" Dean hopped onto the bed next to Kayla but didn't actually touch her. At this point he was trying to keep it from Sam, for whatever reason.

"Ever since we got here you've been trying to pimp me out to this girl Sarah, would you back off?"

"Don't you like her? You like her, she likes you, you're both consenting adults…"

He didn't want to hear it, Dean was being an idiot. "We'll just leave Dean, we always leave."

"I'm not talking about marriage Sammy."

"Why do you care if I hook up?"

"Maybe you wouldn't be so cranky all the time." Dean grinned.

Sam stared at him blankly, Kayla broke the silence. "You do get cranky."

"Thank you." Dean took the remote from her and flipped the channel. "She would want you to be happy Sam, wouldn't she? She'd want you to go out and have fun once in awhile."

Sam paused and felt his eyes water but he fought the tears. Jessica's smiling face showed up in his head and he smiled slightly in reaction. As much as he hated to admit it, Dean was right. If she could speak to him now, he knew exactly what she'd say, and she _would_ want him to keep living. Keep living even though she can't. Keep living _because_ she can't.

"Yeah, she would you're right. But this isn't about her."

He called Sarah anyway, but the news wasn't good. The painting had been sold.


	5. Chapter 5

They were too late when they got to the old woman's house. The thing had struck again. Sarah, despite Sam's efforts to keep her out of the house, had rushed in to save the day only to find her friend killed. If that wasn't bad enough, the father in that painting _turned_ and _looked_ at them. To them it was disturbing, but Sarah, well, the lightest way of putting it would be that she freaked the hell out.

When she met them back at the hotel she was demanding answers.

"Who's killing these people?"

They exchanged looks, Sam lowered his voice. "It's not who, it's what, is killing them. Sarah you saw that painting move."

"I don't know what I saw, I was panicked, it was impossible!"

"Yeah welcome to our world." Dean offered.

How do you say something like this and not make it sound insane? "Sarah I know this sounds crazy but we think that painting is haunted."

"You're joking." She watched their faces. "You're not joking. God, the guys I go out with."

"Look wherever this thing goes people die, and we're just trying to stop it. That's the truth."

Sarah lifted her chin in stubborn determination. "Well then you better show me because I'm going with you."

"What? No, this is dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Well I'm not going to run and hide. So let's get going." She walked out.

Dean looked at him. "Sam, marry that girl."

He rolled his eyes. "You are the _last_ person who can tell me that."

After seeing the painting again, and finding the crypt where the family was kept, it was back to the research wing. Kayla was looking out window while Dean flipped through ancient death certificates. She watched Sam and Sarah talking outside.

"Aw, they're so cute."

"Yeah, cute." He set a paper aside.

"Aw you're cute too." She slid her arms over his shoulders.

"Cute, doesn't describe it."

"Yeah you're right. How about, ridiculously attractive?"

"I can live with that."

She peered over at the papers and he continued sorting through them. "You are awful concentrated on that."

"I have to be. There's a good possibility if I stop working on this case for half a second, you and me are going back to the hotel."

Kayla stifled a giggle. "Is that so?"

"That is very so. You wanna blow this off? I am completely ok with that."

She smiled and stepped back. "No, keep concentrating…I won't bother you."

Dean smirked. He was tempted to toss everything aside and put her on the desk, but sadly Sam and Sarah were waiting for them outside. It was tempting though, and Sam really did need to spend some time with another human being…no. He better not, he might get carried away.

"Here." Something in the paperwork caught his eye. "Daddy wasn't cremated. The family was so ashamed they didn't want him put with the rest of them, he was buried."

"Do you know where?"

"I know where."

She smiled flatly; it was kind of hard to get excited about digging up bodies. It was a dirty job…and she was gonna make the guys do it.


	6. Chapter 6

Kayla stood with her hands in her pockets while Sarah held the flashlight towards the now open grave. It should be any minute now that they reach the actual coffin and they can be done with this mess.

"So you go with them, to do all this?"

"For the last few months, yeah."

"And they haven't gone all chivalrous on you and told you to get lost?"

"Don't talk about me!" Dean shouted from the grave.

Sam pulled himself out of the grave and wiped his hands off. "Kayla's a hunter too. She knows what she's doing."

"Which is something I expect can be _learned…_"

Kayla smiled, this girl was not going to give up without a fight. She liked her.

When they torched the remains it was supposed to be the end of it. Supposed to be.

Of course that's not what it seemed like when Dean came to a screeching halt in front of the mausoleum an hour later. Kayla threw her door open and ran in after him; Sam and Sarah were locked in that house with the ghost and they had to move fast. Dean picked up the nearest rock and started beating on the glass where the doll was, but it barely even cracked. Kayla pulled out her gun.

"Watch out."

Dean glanced back and stepped away, she shot two holes into the glass and cleared away the broken shards. He grabbed the doll and set its hair on fire.

"Please let this work." Kayla watched the doll burn.

Dean grabbed his phone and called Sam, they both breathed a sigh of relief to hear he was ok. It was the little girl all along, and now she was toast. As it should be.


	7. Chapter 7

"I guess this means you're leaving…" Sarah looked at Sam, the sadness evident in her eyes.

Sam glanced sideways at Kayla, who he assumed would be the quicker one to take the hint. She took Dean's arm.

"We'll be in the car."

Dean nodded. "Bye Sarah." He followed her outside. "You know, I was the one who destroyed the doll."

"Yes you did."

"I destroyed the spirit. But does anyone…"

"Thank you Dean."

"Yeah, about time."

She laughed and leaned against the Impala door. "Just be glad it's over. I hate spooky kids, it's just wrong."

"I am glad it's over. 'Cause now…" He leaned in and kissed her. "I can finish what _you_ started at Public Records."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. But I'm not arguing."

He started to kiss her again but stepped away when the door opened. Dean nodded to Sam and got in the driver's seat. Kayla shook her head and got in the back, in her opinion he was being ridiculous.

Sam started to get in but turned and pounded on the door instead. When Sarah opened, he grabbed her and kissed her intensely.

"Oh look, he's kissing a girl…right in front of you." Kayla mocked.

"Don't start."


End file.
